Suzanne (Sue)

Suzanne, the seven-year-old daughter, is the character the narrator admires most of all. Though badly hurt — with a swollen head, two black eyes and a deep cut on her arm — she hides the seriousness of her injuries, explaining, 'I didn't want to worry you when you were trying to save us all.'

Her wound is grave (it later needs six minor operations to remove a recurring blood clot), yet she thinks of others before herself. In a touching gesture, she draws a card with caricatures of her parents and a message of love and thanks: 'Oh, how I love you both... let's hope for the best.' Sue embodies …